Published: August 13, 2008 10:54 am            

Oklahoma ACT scores for 2007 hold steady

OKLAHOMA CITY — The average ACT scores of Oklahoma students mostly held steady this year, bucking the national trend, according to statistics released Wednesday.

Oklahoma's average composite score of 20.7 on the college admission and placement test ranked ahead of those of only 10 other states and the District of Columbia, although state Education Department spokeswoman Shelly Hickman said comparing such numbers is misleading, because the percentage of students who take the test in each state differs.

The national average composite score was 21.1, down from 21.2 last year.

Nationally, the number of students taking the exam jumped by 9 percent compared to last year.

"We have a more heterogeneous population of test-takers, so we're including those kids who weren't considering college or aren't considering college," said Cyndie Schmeiser, the president and chief operating officer of the ACT Education Division, in explaining the slight composite score decline.

Seven Oklahoma students recorded a perfect score of 36 on the test, which 70 percent of state high school graduates took this year.

State Superintendent Sandy Garrett said in a statement that she was pleased at the number of Oklahoma students who took the test this year.

Garrett said that since 2005, "Oklahoma's gains on the exam have outpaced the nation and minority students are closing achievement gaps."

The ACT and SAT are the major entrance exams taken by college-bound students. Most high school students in the Midwest take the ACT, including 27,131 in Oklahoma. More than 1.42 million students took the ACT this year, up 9 percent from 2007.

The numbers released by ACT officials Wednesday provided information about the performance of 2008 graduating seniors who took the test as sophomores, juniors or seniors and self-reported at the time of testing that they were scheduled to graduate in 2008.

The highest average subject score for Oklahoma students came in reading, 21.4. State students averaged a 20.5 score in English, a 20.4 score in science and a 19.8 score in math.

The reading score was up by one-tenth of a point, while the science score dropped one-tenth. The English, math and composite scores were unchanged from 2007.

The ACT encourages state educators to focus more on trends than on year-to-year changes. Since 2004, Oklahoma's English and composite scores have risen by one-tenth of a point and reading scores are up by two-tenths of a point. Science scores have dropped by two-tenths of a point, while math scores are the same as in 2004.

The ACT also reported what it referred to as "college readiness benchmark scores." Those are defined as the minimum score needed on an ACT subject-area test to indicate a 50 percent chance of obtaining a "B'' grade or higher or about a 75 percent chance of obtaining a "C'' or higher in a corresponding college course.

Those benchmark scores are 18 for English, 21 for reading, 22 for math and 24 for science. Seventeen percent of Oklahoma's 2008 graduates met all four of the benchmark scores, 5 percent below the national total.

In individual subjects, 68 percent of state students met the English benchmark, 32 percent met the math benchmark, 52 percent met the reading benchmark and 24 percent met the science benchmark. All were lower than the national percentages, except for English.

State higher education Chancellor Glen Johnson said students could help prepare themselves for the test by taking tougher classes.

"By taking more rigorous courses, students are better equipped to take the ACT and the challenging courses they will face in college," Johnson said in a statement. "These students are Oklahoma's future and we need to ensure they are armed with the tools they need for success."

        

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